


There Is No Veil

by Wandering_Dreams



Category: Naruto
Genre: Half these characters won't even show up until later, How Do I Tag, Inspired by PandaFlower's Kamikakushi, My First Fanfic, Uchiha Izuna Lives, Uchiha Izuna gets Spirited Away, Uchiha Izuna-centric, except instead of Tobirama it's Izuna, much later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27750979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wandering_Dreams/pseuds/Wandering_Dreams
Summary: Izuna gets spirited away.
Relationships: Senju Hashirama & Senju Tobirama, Uchiha Izuna & Uchiha Madara
Comments: 19
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

"Tajima-sama. Madara-sama." The woman bows to them both before picking up her tea tray and leaving. Izuna stands just off Madara's shoulder and tries not to feel offended at being ignored.

After all, he's only the back-up plan. The replacement. That's all Izuna's ever been, shunted to the side for being born second. With an elder brother set to be the heir and two younger brothers waiting in the wings, Izuna knows he'll be overlooked. And he's fine with that. Really, he is.

Madara's only older than him by a few years, but that gap in age is enough to solidly establish him as the heir and Izuna as the spare. Sure, they get the same training, and ostensibly the same rank until Madara is of age, but everybody seems to only have eyes for his older brother.

And why wouldn't they? Madara was a prodigy. He might have a temper, but he had skill on the battlefield to match. He trained without complaint, and he'd already started taking missions. Izuna was just… Izuna. Lousy Izuna who couldn't get a kunai to hit the target on his first try and had to have at least three practice throws before he hit anything. Izuna who bothered Mother when she was feeding the twins, who left his bedroom a mess, who got into trouble all the time and didn't bother sticking around to clean up his own mess. Well, he thought with a bit of a grin, that last one wasn't him so much as his little brothers.

Yakeru and Yaketsuku, the tiny twin terrors, had been born a few short months after Izuna had turned three. Being the youngest, they were the apples of his mother's eye, and a constant pest in Izuna's. But he'd be damned if he let two tiny babies steal his parent's attention.

Right on cue, a loud squelching sound echoed from across the hall, followed by a loud shout.  
"Izuna!!!"

By the sound of it, Father had just discovered the pondweed he'd snuck into his house slippers.

Giggling at the sight of his ever dignified father squelching his way around the house, Izuna couldn't quite manage to contain his glee.

"Aha! There you are, you little brat!" Strong hands pulled Izuna up and out of his hiding place, lifting him to meet a stern glare.

"What have you got to say for yourself, young man?" Tajima shook him.

Still laughing, Izuna covered his mouth with his hands when he let out an undignified squeak.

Tajima shook him harder.

"Sorry, sir. It was just a prank." He put on his best doe eyes. They might have been more effective if he wasn't still giggling.

Tajima huffed before putting on a mock gruff face. "I expect you to behave as befitting someone of your station. You will train hard to be a son worthy of the Uchiha name."

"Yes, father," Izuna agreed solemnly.

Tajima looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but refrained out of respect to his dignity.

"Run along, now. I heard your mother was making mochi in the kitchen."

Attention caught, Izuna wriggled his way out of Tajima's hands with a cry of delight.

"Mochi!!"

As Izuna ran off, Tajima let something like fondness cross his face. Watching Izuna play was… comforting, for all he claimed that it was unbecoming of a clan heir. For a moment he could forget the feud, forget the worries plaguing him as their supplies dwindled and winter approached. Izuna's innocence was a bright light amidst the darkness.

"That child…" Tajima sighed, examining the pondweed in his shoes. He winced at the prospect of washing out his slippers. They couldn't afford frivolities, so he would have to put up with the stench of pondweed for a while longer. In the back of his mind, a small voice questioned since when did the mighty Uchiha consider buying a new pair of house slippers a frivolity? Tajima pushed it down ruthlessly. The Clan came first.

Stepping off the porch to dump out the pondweed in his slippers, he noticed that someone had layered the insides of his shoes with leaves, keeping the pondweed from soiling his shoes. It looked like he wouldn't need new slippers after all. He smiled fondly. He only had one son who would think to prank someone and apologize for it in the same stroke.

"Don't ever change, Izuna."

They'd already lost too many children to war. Tajima didn't want to lose Izuna too.


	2. Chapter 2, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People are never a guaranteed existence in a shinobi’s life. This extends to the children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is a little short, I ended up splitting the original chapter into two pieces. 
> 
> I'm also still working on formatting, which seems to disagree with me a lot, so that might take a while.

Holding two big pieces of mochi, Izuna sat contentedly on the porch. His mother still busy with the twins, he'd run in and snatched as much mochi as he could before stealing off with his loot. 

As he munched on his treat, he noticed a butterfly winging its way across the porch. Its loping flight sent it every way the wind blew before a chance breeze blew it right by Izuna's face. With a laugh, Izuna snatched at the butterfly. 

"Pretty butterfly! Come here! Let's play!" He sang. Mochi forgotten, Izuna chased the butterfly through the clan compound. No one looked twice at a child playing in the streets, although a few glanced up in concern before going back to their tasks. Winter was coming fast, and everybody needed to prepare. 

Izuna stopped when the butterfly flew up and out of sight. Where'd it go? He'd ended up on the outskirts of the clan compound, far away from the lanterns lighting the inner streets. Winter was stealing the daylight earlier and earlier, but Izuna had been too busy chasing the butterfly to notice the encroaching darkness. He looked around in confusion and shivered. This was the section of the compound where the medics put long-term patients. Izuna was too young to understand what that really meant, the adults careful to keep their words whispered away from where curious children might hear, but even children could pick up on the way their parents looked at the lonely house. 

There! The butterfly was back, flapping its way through the window of the house. Izuna entered without a second thought, excited to finally catch his quarry. Only to stop short at the sight of the single bed in the room. 

The man lying on the bed was young. He had the kind of face the aunts in the Clan would call nice, from what Izuna could see peeking out from under the bandages wrapped around his face. There was a strange stillness in the air. 

"A-Ayako? Ayako, is that you?" 

Izuna startled. "Ano, sorry sir, but I'm not Ayako. I'm Izuna." 

"Izuna, huh?" The man's breathing was labored, and sweat dotted his forehead despite the evening chill. "Are you a little weasel, then?" 

"No!" Izuna exclaimed, affronted. "I'm not a weasel, I'm Izuna!" He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. 

The man in the bed made a choking sort of sound. Izuna realized he was laughing. Izuna started laughing too, little giggles like bell chimes against the man's wheezing laughs. He didn't know what was so funny, but he laughed anyway. The laughter defused a tension that Izuna hadn't noticed until it was gone. How silly they must have looked, a bedridden man and a little boy, both laughing at nothing. 

The laughter stopped when the man broke off into a series of hacking coughs. He held a hand to his mouth. It came away red. 

Izuna got a sinking feeling in his chest. "Sir? Are you alright?" 

The man ignored the question. "How old are you, boy?" He asked. 

"Four, sir. Almost five!" Izuna answered. He held up four fingers proudly. 

"Good, good. You know, my little Daisuke was four too. I bet you would have gotten along well. He was always getting into trouble…" 

Izuna stayed silent, sensing that the man wasn't quite there anymore. 

The butterfly flapped its way to the man on the bed, circling around it. White wings flashed in the moonlight, shining like a bright jasmine flower at night. 

"You know, sir, you look really tired." Izuna started hesitantly. The man turned to look at him. It was barely a tilt of the head, but it gave Izuna courage nonetheless. "I heard you asking for someone earlier. An Ayako? I could take a message for her if you like." He stumbled over the words a little, but the man understood them nonetheless. 

The man chuckled, a small smile gracing his lips. "Thank you, son, but that's not necessary. Although, if you could, tell Ayako that I left her a present under her porch. She'll understand." 

The man opened his mouth to speak again, but all that came out was a wheezing cough. He turned his head to the side away from Izuna and kept coughing. Izuna hesitated. The sinking feeling was back. 

"Son?" 

Izuna jumped. "Yes?" 

"Do me a favor and go find Ayako. Tell her my message. It's very important, you see?" 

Izuna lingered by the door, unwilling to leave the man alone. "Go, son. I'll be fine." 

Izuna nodded and ignored the little voice in his head telling him otherwise. He left the house to the sound of his feet pounding against the floor and the man's wet coughs. 

He wouldn't realize until years later what he had seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chokēshin are white butterfly yokai that usually fly at night. They are the ghosts of those who have died of illness. If they fly around a person, that person will soon die of illness. 
> 
> Yeah... I'm afraid the bedridden man is not going to last much longer.


	3. Chapter 2, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuna meets Ayako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have discovered stress-posting. May whatever higher forces there be help me. 
> 
> Ao3 has fancy formatting?!? I'm never going back now... *mad cackling ensues*
> 
> Shinobi life expectancy is depressingly low in general, but especially in this time period, however fictional it may be. As such, I see fit to warn you that there will be an exorbitant amount of ghosts in the near future.

"Ayako? Ayako! Where are you, Ayako?!" 

Izuna ran through the streets, calling for Ayako, but no one answered. He shivered, but whether it was from the cold or from the ill-advised trip to the long-term medical ward he couldn't tell. Most people had already turned in for the day. Night had well and truly fallen, leaving only the stars and a few paper lanterns to light his way. 

It didn't even occur to him to put off the search until the next day. Izuna knew enough to know that the bedridden man wouldn't be around for much longer. It had only been for a moment, but Izuna was sure he had seen blood. Every clan child knew how to recognize symptoms of the dry drowning, when soldiers would cough up red from an invisible source and choke on their own lifeblood. Before the medical ward had been established, many an Uchiha had welcomed their fathers, brothers, and sons home, relieved that they were safe, only to find the next day that they had fallen to some hidden ill in their sleep during the night. Those injuries that were slow to show often were the deadliest. 

"Oof!" Izuna rubbed his face and looked up to see what he'd run into. Or rather, who, he amended, as a red kimono came into view. Izuna gasped. He hadn't even seen her coming! 

"I heard you were looking for me?" The woman asked. Her voice was melodious. Izuna couldn't seem to drag his attention away. She was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even surpassing his mother. In an action that would eventually become famous, Izuna followed the unofficial Uchiha tradition of blanking out upon seeing a beautiful face. 

"You're really pretty." He blurted out, before flushing and covering his face in embarrassment. He peeked out from his hands and worked up enough courage to ask a question.  "Ano, are you Ayako?" 

"That should be 'Ayako-san', not 'Ayako', little boy." She reprimanded. 

"Sorry, Ayako-san." Izuna corrected himself. Ayako leaned down and wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his hands together to warm them. 

"What are you doing out so late?" She asked. Izuna almost forgot to answer, wrapped in the warmth of her hug. It was so warm… He buried his face in her kimono contentedly. 

A little nudge shook him out of his stupor. Izuna shook his head to clear it. 

"Ah! I have a message for you, Ayako– Ayako-san. It's from…" He trailed off when he realized that he didn't know the man's name. It had been a long day with unpleasant realizations, and now everything was crashing down on him. His lip wobbled. Before he could start crying, Ayako picked him up off the ground and rocked him a little. Izuna felt like he was floating. 

"There now," she soothed. "Don't cry. If you cry too much your face will get stuck like that, and you'll go around looking like you've sucked on a lemon all day!" The joke worked. Izuna let out a breathy laugh, mouth crinkling in a smile around the tears on his face. She rocked him for a while longer. 

"Are you ready to tell me the message now?" She asked gently. 

Izuna wiped his face with a sleeve, ignoring Ayako's grimace at the snot he left on his sleeve. She handed him a handkerchief to wipe his nose. He took it, feeling oddly mindful of his manners. Usually, even Mother had trouble getting him to listen when it came to proper etiquette, but in front of Ayako, Izuna felt strangely self-conscious. Maybe it was because she was pretty. 

"Well, the man said that –that he hid a present for you. He said that it's under the porch, and you know what he meant." Izuna fumbled his words as he tried to recall what the man said, fingers wrinkling the handkerchief. He missed the struck expression on Ayako's face. 

"A present under the porch…?" Ayako's brow furrowed in confusion. "But the only one who would do that is... " Her voice trailed off into a hopeful whisper. "Kaen…" 

"Ano, Ayako-san? Are you alright? You look like Mother when Father hasn't been home for a really long time." Izuna worried. He didn't like seeing his mother look like that, like she was desperate to hope but too tired for it all the same. He liked it even less on Ayako. 

When Ayako spoke, her voice was strong. 

"You needn't worry, Izuna. This is the best news I've received in a long time." Izuna smiled, happy to have helped. In the back of his head, he wondered how Ayako knew his name. He hadn't introduced himself yet. Just as quickly as that thought came, it was gone. 

"Can I see what Kaen-san left you under the porch, Ayako-san?" Izuna asked. Ayako smiled. It was a small smile, but from the lines on her face, it was one she used often. He thought it made her look even prettier than she already was. 

"Of course. I'll need some help to get it out after all." 

"'Get it out…?'" Izuna was befuddled. 

Ayako giggled. There was a twinkle in her eye. She swept her arm out at the porch step of a house Izuna faintly recognized as belonging to the Homeguard Head. 

"Yes! Kaen likes to bury treasure for me to find, but I'm feeling a bit tired. Would you like to dig it up for me?" 

"Treasure!" Izuna cheered, running over to the porch to start digging. 

"Slow down, young man. I haven't shown you where it is yet." Ayako said sternly, but her smile betrayed her humor. It occurred to her that she was technically condoning vandalism, but one look at Izuna's delighted face made that thought vanish. 

Izuna darted back and forth, near vibrating in excitement. Ayako glided over to the edge of the porch step, where the raised floor left a hollow at the ground. "Here," she said decisively. "He buried it here." 

Izuna scrambled over, fingers reaching eagerly at the ground. He scrabbled at the dirt, slowly uncovering a narrow box from its shallow grave. 

He presented it to Ayako, who delicately opened it. 

"Oh," Ayako said, her face lit with delight. "That sly dog! He really did it. I didn't think he would, but he did." 

"What, Ayako-san? What did who do?" Izuna asked curiously. 

"Kaen, my lover." Her tone was unmistakably affectionate. "He was a metalsmith. Everything he made was beautiful." 

Ayako kneeled down so Izuna could see the box's contents. A pair of tin saké cups sat cushioned on golden silk. Under the moonlight, they seemed to shine like silver. With the silver cups on gold silk, the contrast was striking. The grooves of the metal were completely worn smooth from dedicated hands, hard metal carefully smelted and molded with fire chakra into perfectly rounded edges. It must have taken hours of work. The tin alone would have been extremely hard to get. Most of the metal the clan sourced went directly to the war efforts. The saké cups were a reminder of better times when the Uchiha were known foremost not for their fearsome eyes, but for their talented metalwork. 

Izuna reached for a cup before remembering his manners and staying his hand. He looked up at Ayako, who nodded her permission. 

Izuna carefully picked up a cup, feeling as though he were cradling a precious gemstone fit for the Daimyo's court. "It's so pretty…" Ayako giggled her agreement. 

"It is, isn't it? He crafted these himself, you know. Said that he loved me enough for ten years' worth even though we'd only been together for one. This was his way of proving it." 

And what a grand declaration that was. Uchiha loved fiercely, so grand gestures were kind of par for the course, but to switch the traditional first-anniversary gift for the tenth said more than could be expressed. It spoke of commitment, which was scarce to find when one or one’s partner could die just the next day. 

Ayako took the cup from Izuna's hands, admiring the way it shone in the moonlight. A few tears slid down her face. Izuna reached up with the handkerchief and wiped her face, imitating how Mother acted whenever he or Madara got hurt, or when she was fussing over the twins. He patted her face gently with the handkerchief. 

"There, there, Ayako-san. Don't cry. Your face might get stuck like that if you do." He said sagely. 

Ayako laughed at the absurdity of a child trying to comfort her with her own words. She accepted the handkerchief to wipe her tears. 

"Don't worry, Izuna. These are happy tears. See?" She tilted her head to show off her smile. She closed the box, hugging it to her chest. She looked at the box as if it were her lover, though she loved it more for what it represented than the value of what it held. "Thank you, Izuna. You helped me find my beloved's last gift to me." 

Izuna only nodded, hushed by the sense that he was intruding on something private. 

Ayako leaned over and gave Izuna a matronly kiss on the forehead. Her lips felt smooth, like the lightest touch of his Mother's fingers over his nose, or the faint brush of butterfly wings. Izuna suddenly felt very tired. 

"Stay safe, little one." She murmured in his ear. Izuna almost didn't hear her, eyes blinking heavily, the glaze of sleep falling over them. 

"May you always have a mother's love." 

Fully asleep, cradled gently in Ayako's arms, Izuna didn't see the way her feet seemed to disappear as she glided along the floor, red kimono trailing. Nor did he feel the imprint of a thumb laying a second blessing on his cheek as he was tucked into bed. 

He slept, dreaming of warm hugs and happy smiles without tears. In his dreams, a handsome man surrounded by white butterflies embraced a woman wearing a red kimono. There was a third figure, a child, their son, but he only joined their embrace for a second before he danced off, giggling mischievously. The couple exchanged fondly exasperated glances, intertwining their hands and crossing the torii gates together.  _ Come when you are ready _ , they seemed to say.  _ We'll be here waiting for you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Japan, it is believed that ghosts do not have feet. Instead, they float along wherever they go. They are also called yurei, which are a general category of ghosts kept from a peaceful afterlife for revenge, love, hatred, or sorrow. Technically kami, these ghosts and their alignments are largely dependent on their personal motive. 
> 
> In this case, Ayako is a yurei who stayed behind out of love for her husband Kaen. Although I did take inspiration from another yokai. Can anyone guess which one? Kudos to you if you guess right! 
> 
> In Japan, the traditional 10th-anniversary gift is a pair of tin sake cups. Tin was used in Shinto religious rituals and is claimed to be able to keep the temperature of any drink poured inside a tin cup constant, as well as filter out any impurities. This is meant to wish the decade-old couple a never-changing happy relationship, although Kaen has altered tradition a little by gifting them to Ayako on their one-year anniversary. His logic is that he can show his long-term commitment by giving Ayako something you wouldn’t normally get until a decade into marriage right off the bat. Unfortunately, that won’t do much now, but it was the thought that counted. 
> 
> Kaen is yet another fire-related name, meaning "flame" or "blaze". I swear I will find more creative names, it'll just take a while. I also don't have a working understanding of Japanese, so I'm a bit stumped when it comes to naming conventions. Everything I learn is from the internet, and we all know how reliable the internet is. Makes me wonder how Kishimoto made his character names sound half as good as they do. 
> 
> When Izuna sees a stranger: Wow, you're pretty.  
> That may or may not come back to bite him later. Spirits can be touchy about beauty, some more so than others… 
> 
> If anybody wants to see what tin sake cups look like, here's a link: https://japan-design-contents.imazy.net/images/crafts/nousaku/tin-sake-cup/main.jpg


	4. Grandma Stinkeye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People start noticing that Izuna's not quite normal...  
> Also: Uchiha family bonding time!

The next morning, Izuna didn't wake until Madara jumped on his futon, shaking his shoulders until he opened bleary eyes. 

"Madara? What is it?" Izuna asked sleepily. Cloth rustled beneath his fingers, and he looked down to see a cotton handkerchief clasped between his hands. 

"Where'd you get that?" Madara asked curiously. He ruffled Izuna's hair, ignoring the disgruntled look sent his way. 

"Ayako-san gave it to me," Izuna said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. 

"Who's Ayako-san?" Madara asked, moving off the bed as Izuna went to get dressed. 

"Dunno. Someone wanted me to deliver a message for her. She's nice." 

"What kind of message?" Madara asked as he held out Izuna's daywear and folded his sleeping yukata. He nudged Izuna's arms into place as he tied the obi around Izuna's waist, careful to knot it just shy of too tight. It would loosen as Izuna moved around during the day, so it needed to be tied tighter in the morning to compensate. 

"Kaen-san said he left a gift for Ayako-san under the porch, so I told her and I helped her dig it up." 

There was a clatter from the hallway. Madara slid open the shoji door. The brothers turned to where a tea tray laden with breakfast food had fallen on the floor, the serving girl who had dropped it frantically cleaning it up. She gathered the items with shaking hands, complexion pale. She stood to bow hastily when she saw them looking, tray lying forgotten on the floor. 

"Sorry for my clumsiness, Madara-sama, Izuna-sama. I will send someone to clean the mess while I go to fix you a new plate." She clasped her hands together hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Madara frowned at her nervousness. She was only doing her job, there was no need to be scared within the compound walls. 

"No need for that," Madara said kindly. "Accidents happen. Besides, I already ate, and I can take Izuna to get something from the kitchen. Right, Izuna?" Izuna nodded as Madara reached out a hand to steady the serving girl, who accepted it and allowed herself to be helped up with ease. "What spooked you? You look like you've seen a ghost." That didn't seem like the best choice of words as the serving girl's face paled by another few degrees. 

"Nevermind it. It's nothing, I – I just get nervous easily." She quickly bowed herself out of the room, leaving two confused boys behind her. Twin gazes of puzzlement met. 

"What was that about?" Izuna asked the question they were both thinking. 

"I don't know." Madara frowned. He grabbed Izuna's hand and started out the door. "Come on, Izuna. Let's go to the kitchens! I'm hungry!" He ran, yanking Izuna along. Pouting, Izuna stumbled after him. 

"Liar! You just want Mother's mochi!" Mother's mochi was the best, as Izuna well knew. Cackling, Madara let go of his hand, racing ahead. He grinned unrepentantly. 

"So what if I do? If you don't catch up, then there won't be any left for you!" 

"I'll tell Mother you didn't brush your hair this morning!" 

Madara smirked with the confidence of the cat that knew it would catch the canary. "More fool you! She won't care, she's too busy with the twins to tell me off." 

Izuna grinned slyly. Time for his trump card. "Not if I tell Grandma Hisaka." 

Madara stopped, horrified. "You wouldn't." 

Izuna grinned smugly. "I would." Izuna waited. One second, two, three… 

Madara crumbled. "Fine. I'll save half for you, okay?" 

Izuna beamed. Madara ruffled his hair, grumbling. "Just don't forget to eat something else for breakfast too. I don't want you getting another stomachache." 

"Hai!" He chirped. Madara-nii was the best! 

"Sneaky little devil…" Madera mumbled as he slunk off to the kitchens. Izuna giggled. Madara was too easy to tease. And teasing him was so fun, especially when he lost his temper and his hair fluffed up. He'd have to teach the twins how to do it when they were bigger. Izuna thought Madara's hair made him look like an angry fluff ball. Or maybe fuzzy tofu… Hehe, fuzzy tofu... If Madara had known what Izuna was thinking, no doubt he would have questioned how Izuna thought to equate his hair to moldy tofu. 

Izuna was shaken out of his thoughts by Tajima's approaching footsteps, tabi socks brushing softly over the wood. 

"Tou-san!" Izuna exclaimed. 

"Good morning, Izuna." Tajima greeted. 

"Morning!" 

"You know, Izuna, yesterday I saw the strangest thing." Tajima put his hands on his hips. "Someone left out two half-eaten pieces of mochi on the front porch. Would you know anything about that?" Izuna froze. 

"...No?" 

Tajima raised a skeptical brow, as if to say  _ Oh really? _

Upon seeing the raised eyebrow of Parental Doom, Izuna changed his mind. "...Maybe?" Tajima sighed. He crouched down and put his hands on Izuna's shoulders. 

"Izuna. Look at me." He said softly. Izuna flicked his eyes up from the floor. "Izuna, why did you leave mochi out on the porch?" 

Izuna mumbled something. "A little louder, please." 

"Was chasin' a butterfly…" Izuna muttered. He fidgeted under his father's gaze. 

"You were chasing butterflies?" Izuna nodded. 

Tajima was about to scold him when he felt very tired all of a sudden. How long had it been since he'd last seen his clansmen's children play out in the open without fear? And here was his son, forgoing sweets to chase butterflies. How could someone be so carefree? 

"Oh, Izuna…"  _ You never cease to amaze me.  _

"Tou-san?" Tajima's heart clenched at the lisp in Izuna's voice. He was so young. All of his children were so very young. He didn't want them to see war, but he didn't have much of a choice. They were clan heirs, with all the responsibility that came with the title. Clans fought. Children died. That was the way it had been for generations before him and it would continue to be for generations after. 

To take his mind off his worries, he lifted Izuna and swung him around by his armpits, smiling at Izuna's laughter and cheers. He used to do this for all his children when they were younger, still tiny toddlers stumbling on the floor, just the height of his knee. Madara was a little too heavy for him now, but he could still manage Izuna. 

"Alright, I think that's enough for now," Tajima said, remembering his duties. He put Izuna back on the ground with a groan. "You've grown heavier," he said, rubbing his back exaggeratedly. 

"Did not!" Izuna huffed. Seeing his obstinate face, Tajima stifled a chuckle. 

"We can play again later. Now, don't you have training to get to?" 

Not needing to be told twice, Izuna ran off to the playground, which had been jokingly dubbed the children's training fields. “Children…” He sighed. He wished he had half the energy they did. Oh to be young. He ignored his aching body and went back to his office. Paperwork waited for no man. 

The whispers spread like brushfire, low and flickering but persistent. 

_ Did you hear? Yubi said Tajima's son saw Ayako's ghost!  _

_ Don't be daft. Ghosts don't exist.  _

_ Ayako? Didn't she pass after her son?  _

_ It could just be his Sharingan making him see shadows.  _

_ Hah, if a Sharingan were all it took to see ghosts, we'd all be seeing spirits!  _

_ Besides, Izuna-sama is far too young to have an active Sharingan. He hasn't even left the compound.  _

_ First their son, then Ayako, and now Kaen. That whole family is cursed.  _

_ Shh – don't say things like that!  _

"What's this I hear? Gossiping while on watch? If you have time to gossip then you certainly must have nothing to report. Yoshiyuki! When was the last movement at your three o'clock?" A sharp voice cut through the air. 

The guard in question snapped to attention with a hasty salute. "About seven minutes ago, ma'am! The border patrol came back and switched out with their relief." 

"Wrong! That was ten minutes ago. You would've known if you hadn't been too busy snogging your girlfriend in the bushes." His fellow guards snickered at her statement. Yoshiyuki silently promised retribution. He sweat under her scrutiny before she dismissed him, breathing an audible sigh of relief when she moved on. 

Grandmother Hisaka, known better among the younger generation of the clan as Grandma Stinkeye, was known for two things. Her infamous temper, and her soul-baring gaze. It was said that as a young woman she had once visited the Daimyo's Court, where she had encountered his notoriously prideful son. Said prideful son had taken one look at her discomfort among the pampered and refined ladies of the court and insensitively insulted her kimono. The reasonable thing to do would have been to push the incident under the table to save face, as the Daimyo's son technically held a higher rank than a ninja, noble clan or not, but the notoriously tempered Hisaka had been so incensed by the insult that she'd grabbed the son by the collar of his robes and dangled him from her grasp gaping like a fish. She then proceeded to pour the entire contents of a nearby teapot onto his (in her opinion) equally tacky robes. The Uchiha Clan had had to make many costly reparations to make amends, but Hisaka declared that no son could sit on the Daimyo's seat if he couldn't even take a simple insult. Said prideful son had allegedly been so frightened by Hisaka's glare that to this day he still refused to drink tea in the company of women. 

Not that Yoshiyuki would blame him. Grandma Stinkeye was  _ scary _ . 

"Now then. What were you saying about my cute little grandkids?" 

"They're not your grandkids!" Someone yelled from the back of the crowd that had formed to watch Hisaka's dressing-down. Hisaka showed no sign of caring. "As I was saying, who was talking about my grandkids?" She looked around for the closest victim, a guard from the group she had just finished dressing down. 

"Nothing, ma'am!" The hapless guard squeaked. Hisaka drew herself up and looked down her nose at the guard with the same regard she might afford a clump of mud on her shoe. "We were just –  _ discussing _ – yesterday's … incident. Yashiro told me – I don't know anything – pleasedon'tkillme." He managed to get out, tripping over his words in his rush to get them out and Grandma Hisaka's stare away. 

Grandma Hisaka gave one last look of judgement that would have had Tajima green with envy if he'd been there to see it. If he'd had Hisaka's glare, even the elders would think twice about crossing him. 

A few minutes later, Hisaka left the gates looking as dignified and composed as ever, the hapless guards looking close to tears in her wake. She hid a smile behind her sleeve, humming pleasantly, the very picture of a harmless little old lady. She exchanged knowing glances with the housewives on the streets, a few winking at her with mirth. She snorted to cover a laugh. It was always fun knocking the boys down a peg. Heavens knew they needed it. They'd thank her for it later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grandma Hisaka is a chaotic force of nature and nobody can change my mind. 
> 
> In other news, Uchiha family bonding time! I still have yet to bring in the mom and the twins, but I'll get there. Eventually.


	5. Kaori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaori and Tajima being domestic. Meanwhile, Grandma Hisaka's caught onto some very interesting rumors...

Kaori hummed to herself quietly as she stirred the porridge, adding a boiled egg chopped into small pieces and salt. While she waited for the congee to cook, she set out assorted condiments on the dining table. A few pickled radishes, pieces of dried meat, and a couple of seasoning herbs went into the serving bowls. She arranged the table carefully, the presentation just so, and plopped in a chair with a contented sigh. 

Of course that was when the twins started crying. Kaori made her way back to the bedroom, where her husband was dithering before the crib. 

"Kaori!" Tajima said with relief. "Thank Amaterasu you're here! I don't know what to do! The twins woke up early today, and it was fine for a while, but then Yakeru started crying, and that set Yaketsuku off. Now they're both crying and they just won't stop!" 

Kaori leaned over into the crib and picked up Yaketsuku, gesturing for Tajima to pick up Yakeru. 

"Did you try burping them? Check their diapers?" 

"Uh…" 

Kaori resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, men could be so useless when it came to children. The twins had been born over a year ago, and with two older siblings, you'd think Tajima would've adjusted to being a parent long ago. Ah, well. At least Tajima got his act together better around older kids. He just didn't know how to deal with them when they were still wailing little bundles of less joy and more misery. Caretaker's misery. 

She sniffed Yaketsuku's diaper and grimaced. That was one sodden diaper alright. 

"Well, I'll go get Yaketsuku changed. Why don't you help with Yakeru, dear?" 

To his credit, Tajima rose admirably to the occasion, not even complaining as he followed Kaori to the bathroom. There was an attached low balcony normally used for drying clothes, but it would do just as well for changing diapers. 

As they worked, Kaori taking the lead for Tajima, they fell into the lull common to parents with too much experience with children. They spoke about clan affairs, the latest business in the Daimyo's Court, which missions they were likely to take next… running a clan was trying business. 

Sitting together on the balcony, babies calm and clan affairs tended to, Kaori let herself just breathe. Looking over to Tajima, who had sat down next to her, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment of peace and quiet. The birds were singing and the sun was warm on her face. She could feel a nice breeze if she focused. She looked back at her Tajima and smiled. It was nice to have a moment to themselves, not as clan heads, but just as husband and wife. 

"I wish more days were like this," she whispered to Tajima, careful not to wake the twins. 

"I agree," he whispered back. She didn’t have to see him to know that a smile was on his face. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Izuna hadn't meant to lie. Really, he hadn't. 

"But it's true!" He wailed. "There really is another kid here, and he said his name was Daisuke!" Why didn't anyone seem to believe him? 

Kazuki –another clan child, although he was more of a teenager– looked one second away from punching him. 

"And I told you not to spread lies like that!" He huffed. "'Sides, kaa-san says you shouldn't besmirch the dead." 

"But he's not dead! He's right there! See?" Kazuki gave a token glance --clearly not expecting to see anything but doing it for formality's sake like he had the last couple times-- saw nothing, and sighed. 

"Kid, you're pointing at empty air." Izuna gaped at him disbelievingly. He looked at where a young boy wearing a perfectly fitted set of children's armor stood on the steps of the Homeguard Head's porch, giggling mischievously in the doorway. The boy waved at him. He'd done so once before when Izuna first saw him. He'd waved back, and Daisuke had been so happy to see someone else that he invited Izuna to a round of tag. Then Kazuki saw him and asked why he was running around willy-nilly. He’d explained he was playing tag with a friend, Kazuki refused to believe said friend existed, and here they were. 

Tears welled in his eyes. He blinked them away. 

“Fine!” If Kazuki didn’t believe him, that was Kazuki’s business. He’d go somewhere else where he wouldn’t have to hear people insulting his friends and calling them imaginary. He gave the doorway one last look, but couldn’t see his friend. Daisuke must have gone inside. Izuna huffed. If Daisuke didn’t want to play anymore, that was fine too! Izuna would just go play by himself. He stormed past Kazuki, making sure to stomp his feet as loud as he could. Kazuki pinched the bridge of his nose in a manner he must have learned from his father and sighed. 

“Man, if I was that stubborn as a kid, no wonder Dad’s going grey. I must’ve been a headache to deal with.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shrewd ears picked up the sounds of hushed whispers from a mile away. Gossip was a housewives’ currency, and while she was technically a widow, she still knew the best haunts where peoples’ tongues were sure to be loose and wagging. Discreetly leaning in to hear, she assessed the importance of each rumor and filed it away to be followed up on or dismissed. 

_ Yashiro finally got himself a girlfriend!!  _ Interesting. She’d have to drop in for a ‘visit’ later, make sure he was treating the girl right...

_ What are you getting your sister for her birthday?  _

_ Blue silk if I can find it. Shame textiles are so expensive, especially the kind she likes… I might compromise and get her a silk obi instead. Less fabric than a kimono, you know?  _ That must be Yubi’s sister. She’d always had a taste for the finer things in life. 

_ That brat’s at it again. I heard from Kazuki that he’s been spouting lies. Said that he saw Daisuke in broad daylight! Don’t know how Kaori raised such a troublemaker, she was always such a polite young woman…”  _ Daisuke…? As far as she knew, he’d died from fever a year or so back, maybe two. It could just be someone spreading false rumors. It wouldn’t be the first time. But if someone really was seeing ghosts… She couldn’t ignore this. 

Grandma Hisaka left as discreetly as she entered, mind whirling with a thousand possibilities. If there really was another yokai-seer in the clan, then she had no time to waste. She needed to find them, and fast. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to pick up!  
> Remember when I said all would be resolved this chapter? I lied. It’s going to take a lot more than one chapter.


	6. Dream Walking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuna discovers a new power. Hisaka helps out.

_ The silent flapping of an owl's wings disturbed the night. Below, the animal nightlife scurried this way and that. Hunters stalked the woods for their next meal, while the hunted made themselves scarce.  _

_ He padded his way silently along the river. Approaching the bank, he crouched. A moment passed. He waited. Then he pounced, claws –since when did he have claws?– plunging into the water. They came up with a small crayfish, slippery and struggling in his paws. He stuffed it in his mouth, not bothering to cook it, even though a simple Katon jutsu would have sufficed, chewed, and swallowed. The sensation of raw meat sliding down his throat was familiar yet not. Hungry claws reached back into the water for more.  _

_ Faintly, he was aware that something wasn't quite right. His vision was steeped in greens and grays. He knew that it had always been like this (had it?), just as he had always had five claws on each paw and a striped tail and three nursery-mates and one grumpy cat to annoy.  _

_ Tiring of crayfish, he bounded back through the forest. He moved with nary a sound, stepping lightly on the soft loam. His nose twitched. He caught the scent of mice and almost gave chase, but turned back at the last moment. He yipped to his nursery not to chase mice. Too small. Not good for hunting. He slunk his way through the shadows, avoiding the sight of skyborne predators and sharp talons, approaching the two-legs' den. The two-legs always had large stashes of food, but they didn't hide it inside knotholes or bury it in the dirt.  _ _ They hid it in fake wooden caves built on soft ground.  _

_ Two-legs were strange.  _

_ He sniffed around for the tunnel he and his nursery had dug just for this purpose. He would have to be quick. Two-legs were like squirrels. They didn't like when he snuck into their stash. He found the tunnel but couldn't go any further. The tunnel had been filled in with dirt. He started digging it back out again and chittered. An answering chirrup came from the distance. His nursery-mate was here. They re-dug the tunnel together. A loud yell interrupted them.  _

_ "Hey! Get away from there! Damn pests!" A man came running. The sound of their claws on wood had attracted his attention. He bolted, hindpaws propelling him forward and away from the angry two-legs. His nursery-mate ran in the other direction. He reached the high wall he had scaled earlier. Scampering up the wall as easily as level ground, he fled in a blur. The angry two-legs chased him to the wall but no further. He slunk back through the shadows, intent on returning to his nest, but something was nagging his attention.  _

_ He tried to shrug it off and keep going, but it tugged persistently. Again and again it happened, until finally he awoke with a sharp bark.  _

"What?!" He snapped, teeth bared and shoulders hunched. The word was barely intelligible through the animalistic growl rumbling in his throat. 

Hisaka gave him a sharp pinch. "Ow!" Izuna yelped. He blinked before coming back to himself. What was that? He looked around confused. He was in his room. His hands were clutching the blankets like claws. He unclenched his fists, taking a deep breath and turning back to the person at the side of his bed. He barely managed to keep himself from screeching in fright. Someone else was in his room, and he hadn't even noticed. Grandma Hisaka could be quiet when she wanted to be. It was the same trick she pulled on misbehaving youngsters. She loved watching them jump in fright when she appeared out of thin air. Privately, he thought it was funnier when he wasn't on the receiving end. Then it was just scary. 

"What are you doing here, Grandma Hisaka?" 

"It's nice to see you too," a dry voice answered him. 

Izuna ignored the jab at his manners and continued taking stock of his room. For some reason, everything seemed different. Like a painting with one extra brushstroke in the wrong direction. Was everything always this... tall? Or this… colorful? 

"What happened?" He asked aloud. He wasn't sure before, but now that he'd said it aloud it seemed certain. Something had happened last night, for all that he was in bed and asleep. 

"You went spirit walking. I had to pull you back before you got sucked in too far." What? He must have spoken out loud, since Hisaka only glared at him a little before huffing and taking a seat. Izuna's chair was extraordinarily uncomfortable, but if she felt it Hisaka didn't show it. Hisaka-oba seemed worried about something. She withdrew a hard candy from her sleeve and plopped it in her mouth. Now Izuna was worried. Hisaka-oba wasn't one for sweets. Why was she eating them now? She offered one to Izuna, but he shook his head and declined. 

Shifting in her seat, Grandma Hisaka fixed him with her infamous stare. Izuna froze. He fiddled with the blanket in his lap, smoothing it of wrinkles, but his eyes stayed on her face. 

"Listen up. I'll explain any questions you have later. I know you've been seeing some strange things. I'm not here to tell you to ignore it. I'm here to help you work through your new abilities and train them so that what happened just now never happens again. Do you understand?" Izuna nodded mutely. 

"Good. There are some things you'll need to know as the next prominent yokai-seer in our clan." 

The next  _ what _ ?!? 

Grandma Hisaka must have seen his incredulous look because she snorted inelegantly. "Yeah, that was my reaction too. Haven't you noticed by now that you're a little strange?" 

Strange how? If Grandma Hisaka noticed his confusion, she didn't mention it and continued speaking. 

"You see things that other people can't. Sometimes there's a strange breeze that only you can feel. Maybe you hear the sound of wind chimes in the middle of the forest where there aren't any. Or see children's footprints in a house that has no child. It could be any number of things." With each sentence, Izuna paled, because he recognized himself in those statements. It had started small. Maybe Izuna would stare off into space at something only he could see, or he would be caught speaking to thin air, only to turn around and act like nothing was wrong. His clan was willing to brush it off as a young shinobi child's eccentricities, but it didn't go away. Just yesterday Kazuki had accused him of spreading lies. As if he would mock the memory of a dead child. Mother made sure they all knew better than that. Besides, Daisuke wasn't dead. He was alive. ...Right? 

He knew his parents and Madara-nii didn't mind, but there had been days where he couldn't walk down a street without whispers dogging every step. Father didn't buy into the rumors and tried to quell them the best he could, but gossip traveled fast, and no sword could kill a rumor. 

"I know it seems intimidating, but I can help." 

"How?" Izuna asked, voice small. 

Hisaka pulled out a book from her sleeve. He caught sight of the title and almost laughed incredulously. "A storybook? How's that going to help?" She bopped the book on top of his head, amused at his disgruntled expression. 

"Not just any old storybook, chisana-nezumi. A guide to all the strange critters and odd yokai you'll ever see. Everything a new yokai-seer needs to know is right in that book." Izuna scrunched his nose, ignoring Hisaka's amused look in the background. Chisana-nezumi? 'Little mouse'? He wasn't little or a mouse! He held in his offense. It wouldn't do to offend Grandma Hisaka. He picked up the book and flipped it open. The pages were filled with a detailed anthology of yokai. Hand-drawn illustrations competed for room next to neatly scribbled margin notes. Some of them were in color while others were bare black-and-white inked sketches. The notes themselves were often written in different hands as well. There were notes everywhere on every conceivable yokai under the sun, although some of the entries were left halfway finished, and some pages were almost too smudged to be read. The original text was legible if faded. 

Izuna held it in his hands with reverence. "I'm not the only one who can see these… yokai? This is normal?" He asked, bowing at her in thanks. She brushed it off, grumbling that it was only her duty. Like she would let a young yokai-seer out on his own without training. That was just asking for trouble. 

"I wouldn't say seeing yokai is normal, per se, but you're far from the first in this clan to do so. You could say it's like an extra kekkei genkai of sorts." 

Izuna stared at her wide-eyed. Hisaka held in a chuckle. He looked like a little doe with those big eyes! 

"Really?" He asked. 

"You bet. In older generations, they taught this stuff along with how to handle your kunai and how to pack proper supplies. It's fallen out of practice now, since spiritual sightings have decreased and many people no longer follow the old ways, but what's myth for them is reality for you. You need to learn how to navigate yourself in this world. There will be threats only you can face and wonders only you can experience, and I'm not letting you go out there unprepared." Izuna was still staring at her with wide eyes. Hisaka frowned. Had the speech been too much? 

"So cool…" Izuna whispered, starry-eyed. Hisaka snorted. 

"Kid, you ain't seen nothing yet." She pointed at the book in Izuna's lap. 

"It may be old, but this book here has the best information on yokai this side of the Nakano River. For generations it's been passed down from seer to seer, each generation adding their own knowledge and experiences. See those blank pages in the back? That's where your additions will go." 

Izuna asked curiously, "What if I run out of room?" 

"Don't worry about that, chisana-nezumi. You can add fresh pages whenever you need more. That's why it's a book and not a scroll. Book bindings are removable. Scroll-ends? Not so much." 

"I've never seen this book before. Where did you get it?" 

"Course you wouldn't have. Most of the books the clan has are stored in the archive for safekeeping." 

"The archive?" 

"That building next to the hospital? Small, pretty drab? Bright red locked door?" 

"Oh, that one!" Izuna's eyes lit up in recognition. "I think Tarou dared me to climb it once." 

Hisaka barked out a laugh. "If that's what you young 'uns get up to these days, no wonder the bar is always full!" 

"What's a bar?" Izuna asked. 

Grandma Hisaka started laughing again. He never got an answer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Izuna doesn't know what a bar is. Hisaka finds this hilarious.


	7. Courtship Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuna discovers that even his sensei isn't immune to Uchiha Denial Syndrome. 
> 
> Or: Courtship fluff, here to offset the dreariness of 2020.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who woke up and decided that this story needed to take a turn for the gay?  
> Yup. (In my defense, I think it's cute?)

Izuna's head was whirling with all the new information. 

Yokai-seers. The spirit world. Yomi. 

So many new things to learn! And that wasn’t even touching on Hisaka’s more serious lessons. Hisaka had impressed on him the importance of learning how to handle himself in the yokai world before he got dragged into it headfirst. Izuna took her word religiously, diligently reading up on a new yokai each night. 

Or at least, he tried to. 

Izuna yawned as he made his way to the compound gates packed for a mission. 

“It’s way too early in the morning for this!” Someone whined. That would be Yashiro. He was unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you looked at it, the one who got stuck on gate-guard duty the most often. 

“Suck it up, Yashiro. Look on the bright side, once we get the early morning watch done we’re free to go for the day.” Ah, here was his partner. Yashiro’s voice of reason, Yoshiyuki. Izuna considered him equally as unfortunate as Yashiro, if only because he had to put up with Yashiro every time the two were assigned gate duty. 

“I see the early hour didn’t get to you, did it Izuna-chan?” And here was Izuna’s mission-sensei, Mitsukane. In the background, Yashiro tried to noogie Yoshiyuki, only for the other man to retaliate with a well-aimed elbow to the gut. 

“Nope! Look, Mitsukane-sensei, I have my supplies packed and everything!!" 

Mitsukane smiled and reached down to ruffle his hair. Izuna beamed. Both ignored the sounds of Yashiro picking a fight that he was decidedly losing. 

“I like your attitude, but aren't you forgetting something? I know Kaori-san taught you your manners, Izuna-chan.” 

Oh! “Good morning, Mitsukane-sensei.” Izuna scrambled to bow. 

"Good morning," Mitsukane bowed back, although his bow was shallower, the bow of a senior to a novice. 

“As much as I’d love to hang out more with you two,” Mitsukane said to the gate-guard duo, “Izuna-chan and I do have a mission to get to, so if you could let us through, that’d be great.” 

“Like mail is all that important,” Yashiro huffed, only to receive a jab in the side from an irate Yoshiyuki, who pointedly raised an eyebrow. 

“Alright, fine! Good luck on your very important mission, and make sure you don’t get yourselves killed!” Yoshiyuki sighed and gently cajoled his partner into opening the gates. 

Mitsukane ignored the sounds of the guards getting into yet another argument and set off, Izuna trailing behind him. 

Izuna followed Mitsukane to the nearest civilian town, where they visited several lord’s estates and collected packages and papers to be delivered to their various destinations. Despite being on a mission, Izuna found himself relaxing as he raced with Mitsukane through the trees. He was only here to shadow Mitsukane while he did his mission. The idea was that by letting younger kids learn by shadowing older, more experienced ninja on missions, they could lower the risk of fatal injury from a first mission gone wrong. So far it seemed to be working. The number of child mortalities had gone down exponentially since Tajima had issued a blanket order for all children below the age of twelve to stay in the compound until they were considered old enough to shadow missions. Even then, it was only for things like messenger runs and deliveries. 

The course of three weeks saw eight packages safely received and delivered to their recipients. Mitsukane, while not particularly well-known, was stellar at flying under the radar. Something which Izuna learned was often more useful than being recognized on sight. It meant your enemies underestimated you, if they could even spot you at all. 

"You alright over there, Izuna-chan?" 

Izuna looked back and nodded. For the last leg of the trip, Mitsukane had allowed him to lead, saying it would be good navigation experience. 

"Good. We still have one more package to take care of, so we'll collect that first before heading back to the compound." A sly wink. "And who knows, maybe we can even stop by Noriko's on the way back." 

"Really?!?" Izuna whooped with delight. "Yes! Mitsukane-sensei, you're the best!" Mitsukane chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Now, now, Izuna-chan, not so loud. What would Tajima-sama think of me if he knew what we were up to?" 

Izuna nodded seriously. He mimed locking his mouth shut and throwing away the key. 

"But keep your senses sharp, alright? Don't let your guard down just because you're almost done. Did I tell you about the time I got lost in a swamp? It was because I decided not to mark my directions before settling down to sleep. So when I set out that day, I traveled in the wrong direction…" 

When they arrived at Lord Hojo's residence late the next day, Izuna turned to look quizzically at Mitsukane when he grinned and said that it was perfect timing. He showed the guards a wooden pendant carved with the Hojo clan mon, a white chrysanthemum. To Izuna's surprise, the guards let them in without any hassle despite the late hour. Normally, they would've been directed to an inn or put up for the night in a guest room to wait for the next day before being allowed into the main residence to see the Lord, but the guards escorted them in without question. 

Mitsukane waited until they were comfortably seated in a waiting room before explaining. He pulled out the pendant again. 

"What do you think this is, Izuna?" Mitsukane tended to drop the 'chan' when he was in teaching mode. Izuna leaned over to take a look. 

"It's the Hojo clan mon, right? A shiragiku." 

"That's right. But see this?" He pointed at the pendant, which upon closer inspection was carved with not one but two flowers. One was the white chrysanthemum, as expected, but the other…

"A kuchinashi?" 

"That's right." Mitsukane smiled gently. "Can you guess why someone would carve a gardenia on this pendant?" 

Izuna thought and thought, but came up blank. He shrugged. 

Mitsukane laughed. "That's alright. I wouldn't expect you to know this yet. You're a bit young to be hearing about something like that." He laid the pendant on the table. "This is a courtship badge." 

"A courtship badge?" Izuna asked. What was a courtship badge? He'd never heard of them before. 

"When two civilian nobles are considering a marriage, it's customary for the prospective couple to have a courtship period where they exchange letters and gifts. These letters are sent back and forth between the couple via a third party for propriety. Most messenger badges let you know which clan the sender is from and for what purpose. They're usually just marked with the clan mon and a trade sigil. Courtship badges, however, are marked with the clan mon and a flower signifying the type of relationship being pursued." 

"I couldn't have said it better myself." A singular thunder of applause filled the air. 

Mitsukane's eyes widened and he bowed, pulling Izuna down into a bow with him. 

"Lord Hojo!" 

The man in question walked regally into the room. He was dressed in the numerous layers of the noble style, fine patterned kimono matching perfectly in shade with striped hakama. Looking at him, Izuna felt underdressed in his semi-formal kimono jacket and haori, despite having worn the same outfit in several other Lord's residences over the course of their deliveries. Maybe it was because this was the first time he'd met a lord face to face. Before he'd always been relegated to whatever room they were staying in while Mitsukane handled the actual delivery, and even then it was usually to the head of household, not the Lord of the castle. 

"It is good to see you, Mitsukane-san. And please, call me Itsuki." 

"Apologies for missing your entrance, Itsuki-dono. That was most improper of me." 

The Lord waved off his apologies. 

"No. It is I who should apologize, for coming in without announcing myself. Now rise. I'm not so noble that I can speak to a man without seeing his face." *

Mitsukane rose from his bow to meet the Lord's gaze. Izuna did the same. The Lord's eyes flicked to him before going back to Mitsukane. 

"Who is this young one? I don't remember having seen him before." 

Mitsukane gestured at Izuna, who bowed in greeting. "This is Uchiha Izuna-sama, Lord Uchiha Tajima's second son. He is here to accompany me on my mission." 

"Ah." Izuna was startled to hear recognition in the Lord's voice. "Is this the young man you spoke about in your previous visits?" 

Mitsukane nodded. "He is, my lord." 

"I see." The Lord nodded. "Then I am glad to have met one whom Mitsukane-san has spoken so highly of. I should dare to expect great things from you in the future." To both their great surprise, Lord Hojo bowed to them, a slight tilt of the head. 

"That is a high honor, my lord." Mitsukane sounded flustered. Izuna sympathised. It wasn't completely unheard of for a lord to bow to an employee, but it was certainly unusual. Then again, it sounded like Mitsukane had visited Lord Hojo before. 

"Nonsense. A lord should have as much respect for his vassals as his vassals do for him." 

"If I may say, Lord Hojo?" A nod. "That is… a very forward view." 

They met gazes, but Izuna couldn't read either his sensei's or the Lord's expressions. 

"How foolish of me to keep business waiting." The lord said abruptly. Izuna nearly sighed in relief at the clear dismissal. Offending a lord would do no good. They were lucky that Mitsukane seemed to have history with the Lord. Otherwise, he might not have been as willing to overlook a slight to his character. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed curiously that Mitsukane didn't seem very nervous. He wouldn't say that his sensei was meek, exactly, but for a nin he tended to be respectful in the face of authority. It made him an ideal candidate for civilian dealings. Especially for the lords, who favored Mitsukane for his respect for authority and his sharp wit. 

"My package?" Lord Hojo said expectantly. 

Mitsukane withdrew a little brown wrapped package from the pack at his side. "A set of kanzashi, from Lord Nagao Kagetora. He wishes your sister glad tidings." 

"Of course." Was that a hint of amusement in the Lord's tone? If he was startled to see Lord Hojo bow at them, then he was even more startled at what happened next. "Walk with me." The Lord commanded. 

"Eh?! But-but Lord Hojo, I couldn't possibly—" 

"Ah, you are worried for your charge. Admirable, although unnecessary. Yumi! Kokomi! Escort the young son to his rooms and ensure his comfort." Before Izuna could make heads or tails of what was happening, he found himself handily escorted to a much more opulent room than the ones he had previously stayed in. He had just enough time to think that he had never seen Mitsukane quite so flustered before the servants, who had seemingly appeared out of the woodwork, descended on him. 

"Look, Kokomi! His hair is such a mess!" 

"Already on it!" The other maid, who must be Kokomi, said. She grabbed a brush and set to work on Izuna's hair with vigor, although it was surprisingly gentle compared to his own efforts to tame his hair. 

"Surprised?" Yumi laughed at his confused face. She leaned in close. "Let me tell you a secret. Kokomi is a  _ goddess _ with hair." 

"Yumi!" Kokomi gasped and swiped at her playfully. "Don't spread lies to impressionable young ears! Besides, all I'm doing is brushing it." 

Yumi snickered good-naturedly. "Don't let her fool you. There's a reason Lord Hojo has her do his hair each morning." Izuna silently agreed. If Kokomi could make even the tortuous feeling of hair brushing feel good, then Lord Hojo was a wise man indeed to have her do his hair. He bet even _Madara_ would have no complaints if Kokomi was their hairdresser. 

"Lord Hojo has long hair?" Izuna asked. The two maids looked startled at the interruption, but took it in stride. 

"Yes. Didn't you notice? Most nobles have their hair long. It's a sign of wealth and class. The longer you can keep your hair, the more status you have. Although I suspect that it's different for nin clans."

Both women looked to Izuna. He nodded. "Chichi-ue says that wearing your hair long is a privilege. It means you're really, really skilled, because it tells people that you're good enough to not have it hinder you in a fight." 

"That sounds about right. I heard that most clan heads wear their hair long. For nin it's a statement of strength, but for civilian nobles it's more for social status. For example, Lord Hojo usually wears his hair in a noble's topknot, although it changes depending on the occasion." Yumi said from where she was laying out the futons. "Kokomi, weren't you from a nin clan?" 

"No." Kokomi shook her head. By now she had moved on from brushing his hair to styling it, although Izuna's hair was too short for most of the complex styles she was used to doing. "That was my uncle on my mother's side." 

"Was he from a clan?" Izuna asked. He ducked his head as he realized the question may be too personal for virtual strangers, but the maids indulged his curiosity with grace. Kokomi tilted his head back up, pulling his hair into a simple short tail at the base of his neck. 

"Yes and no. My uncle was from the Uesugi clan, but they merged with the Nagao clan a few years back. They're technically considered nobles now, but most of the adult generation still work as ninja. Once they retire, the next generation of Uesugi will officially hang up their blades and become civilian nobles." 

"Are you upset about that?" He knew he would be if the Uchiha clan decided to become civilians all of a sudden. He'd been learning to fight for years now, and even though this was only his first mission out of the compound, he couldn't say he'd want to become a civilian despite knowing the risks of the shinobi life. He had a duty as the clan head's son, and he was going to uphold it. 

Kokomi shook her head as she held hairpins up to Izuna's face, testing how well they matched with his complexion. She thanked Yumi when she pointed her towards a selection of simpler hair ribbons embroidered with silvery thread. Silver was a much better match for Izuna's complexion than the maroon she had been considering earlier. 

"Not really. The Uesugi are –were a small clan. They weren't weak, but they weren't exactly strong either. But they had good ties with the Nagao, so when they were offered an alliance, the Uesugi took their chance. Better a strong civilian clan than a weak nin clan, I suppose." 

Yumi nodded her agreement from where she was sliding open the shoji of the far wall, revealing a storage closet from which she retrieved blankets and a low table. 

"You'll likely be taking your dinner here tonight. Lord Hojo doesn't like to be disturbed when he's receiving guests." Yumi explained as she set up the table. 

Kokomi didn't quite manage to cover her rather unladylike snort. "More like when he's receiving Mitsukane-san in particular." She muttered under her breath, glancing at Izuna. He politely ignored it. She clearly hadn't meant to be heard. Another servant appeared in the doorway. 

"Pardon the intrusion, Kokomi-san, Yumi-san. But we need you in the kitchens." 

"Well, I suppose that's our cue." She quickly finished tying a ribbon around Izuna's low tail, and stuck two plain hairpins in the back to keep his hair from spiking up. Yumi stood up from where she had finished laying out the blankets and joined her. 

The two women bowed at the door before leaving the room, leaving Izuna sitting at the table feeling like a whirlwind had just left. 

He didn't see his sensei until the next morning, when he woke up to Mitsukane packing their bags. He jerked when he noticed Izuna blinking bleary eyes at him from his futon. 

"Oh! Izuna-chan! You're awake! I'm packing our bags. Yesterday was the last delivery, so we'll be heading back to the compound today." 

Izuna nodded. "Sensei?" 

Mitsukane hummed distractedly. "Yes, Izuna-chan?" 

"Where were you yesterday?" Izuna was expecting something boring. He'd asked before, but Mitsukane had only said that he was establishing trade relations, nothing that would interest a small child. So he was surprised when Mitsukane blushed, red creeping up his cheeks. "Sensei?" Izuna said, a little alarmed. 

"Ah, it's nothing for you to worry about, Izu-chan." Mitsukane snapped out of his daze, closing his pack with a little more force than necessary. 

"Okay..." Izuna caught sight of something bobbing around his sensei's head. "Sensei, you have something in your hair." 

Mitsukane reached in his hair and unsnagged a white ribbon from the back of his head. He looked at it with surprise. "How did that — oh, nevermind, I know how it got there. Itsuki, you bastard." Mitsukane muttered the last part under his breath, but Izuna heard it anyway. He raised an eyebrow, copying the motion his mother made whenever she had to deal with an especially annoying elder pestering her. He hadn't known Mitsukane-sensei could get so incensed. He'd always been so polite. And what did Lord Hojo have to do with this? 

Izuna frowned as something occurred to him. Was Lord Hojo the one who gave sensei the hair ribbon? He reached to the back of his head, where his own hair ribbon sat. But why would he do that? 

When he asked, Mitsukane gave him shifty eyed glances. He opened his mouth to start explaining, only to close it immediately after. This repeated a few times before Mitsukane-sensei deflated with a quiet "Maybe when you're older, Izu-chan." 

And that was that. 

Leaving Lord Hojo's residence felt much different from leaving any other lord's residence, maybe because Lord Hojo was actually there in person to see them out. He and Mitsukane exchanged bows along with the customary lines of farewell for a successful trade. 

"The Uchiha clan is blessed with your trade, Lord Hojo." Mitsukane said, head bowed. 

"It is my clan that is blessed," the lord refuted, "to have been honored with the presence of such a wonderful companion as yourself." Izuna barely stifled his gasp at the depth of the bow Lord Hojo gave to Mitsukane. That bow was far too deep for the polite regard of a lord to a vassal, especially if that vassal was a mere messenger. 

Bows were customary for showing both politeness and respect, but the depth of the bow and degree of respect expressed were determined by one's social status. A noble's head tilt could suffice where a shinobi might be expected to bow a full ninety degrees. 

But a bow that deep? Put into context, the only time he'd been told that a bow of that depth was acceptable was when… Oh.  _ Oh _ . 

A quick glance at the surrounding entourage offered no hints, but the servants, not as used to being seen, looked on with indulgence and no small amount of amusement. This was serious, then. 

He thought about the courtship badge and the package from Lord Nagao.  _ Oh _ . Izuna felt like slapping himself for not seeing it sooner. A courtship badge with a gardenia? The flower of  _ secret love _ ? And publicly using it for a courtship ostensibly between the young Lord Nagao and Lord Hojo's sister? 

Truly a deception of epic proportions. Lord Hojo was a clever man indeed.

Izuna watched as Lord Hojo offered them both a gift, a boon to their success in trade and a well-wishing for future business. Mitsukane tried to refuse, but eventually caved to the Lord's highly persistent demands. It could just be Lord Hojo giving them an exceptionally warm welcome, but that wouldn't explain the way Lord Hojo had given Mitsukane permission to use his first name. He might have just been being friendly, Izuna tried to rationalize. But the hair ribbons? That was something Izuna couldn't dismiss as easily. 

Izuna waited until long after they had left and made camp for the night before asking. 

"Ne, sensei, how long have you and Lord Hojo been together?" 

Mitsukane spluttered. He choked on his stew. "Where– where did you hear something like that?" 

Izuna shrugged. "No one. I figured it out myself." 

"Izu-chan, that's not – it's not – Lord Hojo and I are just business associates. We don't feel anything like that towards each other, okay?" He set his bowl of stew aside, frantically waving his arms. 

Izuna was unimpressed. He crossed his arms in disbelief. 

"And you expect me to believe that business associates give each other fancy gifts every time they see each other?" 

"Well, that's just — just Lord Hojo being polite— I mean —" 

"Gifts, sensei? The immediate reception, the 'walk with me alone', the  _ ribbons in your hair _ ?" 

Izuna pressed. 

"We're just — just —good friends! Very good friends!!" Mitsukane sounded more flustered than he ever had before. Izuna felt a bit bad, but he needed this intervention. Amaterasu knew that Mitsukane would never work up the courage to act by himself. 

"Mmhmm." Izuna hummed disbelievingly. "So I suppose that package Lord Hojo gave you isn't a new kimono set that matches the Hojo clan colors perfectly?" 

"Nnnnggrrrhhhnnn." The sound Mitsukane made was barely human. 

"I was there when you opened it, sensei." Izuna deadpanned. He patted Mitsukane's head consolingly. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't figure it out until after I saw the hair ribbon." 

Mitsukane let out a dying wail. Izuna pulled Mitsukane's head into his lap, ignoring the heavy weight it put on his thighs. 

"There, there, Mitsukane-sensei. There, there." He continued patting his head. 

Right when Mitsukane looked about ready to revive himself, Izuna added another comment. 

"You know, sensei, the next time you see your boyfriend, would you mind thanking him for me? This fan is really pretty." Izuna was referring to the gift that had been for him, a beautiful light gray fan intricately painted with white jasmine flowers. Little green leaves wove in and out of the branches. It reminded him of Ayako. 

Mitsukane slumped again. "Please don't call him that." 

"Why not?" 

"Because it's never going to work!!" He wailed dramatically. Izuna looked at him quizzically, but it seemed he wouldn't have to press for answers this time as Mitsukane started ranting on his own. "I'm a shinobi! I have duties! I can't just abandon my clan because I thought a civilian lord looked pretty!" He covered his mouth with both hands immediately after. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. 

"Awww..." He pulled himself upright, flushing again when he realized he'd been resting on Izuna's lap. "Izu-chan, you're a good kid, but some things are a bit more complicated than just preparing for the worst and doing your best. This is one of those things." 

"Okay, Mitsukane-sensei." 

They were settled in their bedrolls when Izuna spoke up again. 

"You guys are really cute together though." 

Mitsukane flicked him on his forehead. " _ Urusai _ ." 

Izuna huffed. He was serious! But how to help Mitsukane-sensei? Every other time he had to ask for help with stuff like this, he always asked Mitsukane-sensei. But he couldn't ask Mitsukane-sensei this time because Mitsukane was the one who needed help. 

Ah. He knew just the person. Yubi was going to love this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now there's representation. The non-political kind, which is much better for my peace of mind than the political one.
> 
> *This is a reference to a practice where some nobles would cover their faces when they went out in public. 
> 
> Urusai: a Japanese term that roughly translates to “shut up.” (In this context, at least)


End file.
